Balustrades



Jan. 21, 1958 F. A. SCHlLLlNG BALUSTRADES Filed July 2, 1956 INVENTORSCHILLJNG fiarfl ATTORNEY FREDERICK A.

United BALUSTRADES Frederick A. Schilling, Vancouver, British Colnmhia,Canada Application July 2, H56, Serial No. 595,35d

2 Claims. (Ci. 256-21) My invention relates to improvements inbalustrades.

The objects of the invention are to provide a balustrade having ahandrail made up of lengths of tubular material which may be perfectlyaligned with one another even though some of the supporting balustersare somewhat improperly spaced as to distance from centre to centre or50.1 e other inaccuracy of fitting had occurred during the setting ofthe balustrades with respect to the risers or treads of the staircase.

Other objects are to provide means for securing the handrail to thebalusters whereby the connecting means are concealed in part within aslot formed in the underside of said handrail, and to provide a strip ofmaterial for closing the slot between adjoining balusters, so that acompletely closed structure is presented to the hand and eye.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary elevation of the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the filler strip.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in each figure.

The numeral 1 indicates generally a balustrade shown as being mountedupon a staircase 2 and having a handrail 4 which is made up of lengths 5of tubular material. The lengths 5 have arcuate top and bottom walls 7and 8 respectively and side walls 9. A central slot 11 is defined in thebottom Wall 8 of each length between inwardly turned flanges 12 and thelower edges of said flanges are provided with rebates 14, see Figure 2.The remote faces of the flanges 12 are inclined towards the centre ofthe handrail as shown in Figure 2.

The treads 17 of the staircase 2 are fitted with suitably spacedbalusters 20 each having at its upper end a hori- Zontally disposed bolt21. Each bolt 21 is adapted to be fitted with a connector 24 consistingof a short length of channel 25 having a depending lug 26 which isprovided with a vertical slot 28. The channels 25 of the connecters areprovided with a pair of longitudinally spaced openings 30, see Figure 3only. A cap 31 is adapted to coact with each connecter 24 and isprovided with depending sides 32 which have their opposing facesinclined as at 33. The caps 31 are provided with spaced threadedopenings 34.

The balusters 20 are erected upon the heads 17 with appropriate carebeing taken to align the balusters with one another, although it is notabsolutely necessary that the spacing between adjoining balusters be thesame nor that the vertical distance the bolts 21 are disposed above thetreads should all be exactly the same.

Assuming that a length 5 of the handrail is to be States Patent mountedupon its supporting balusters it is approximately aligned with the lasterected section of the balustrade and a connecter 24 is fitted to aconveniently located bolt 21 which is projected through the slot 23. Thechannel 25 of the connecter is lodged within the rebates i4 and a nut 35is fitted to the bolt and is tightened sufiiciently to permit slidingmovement of the lug 25 upon said bolt. A cap 31 is entered into thehandrail and is positioned so as to bridge the flanges 12 directly abovethe channel 25 of the connector and with the faces 33 engaging the faces15 of said flanges. Screws 36 are thrust through the openings 3t} andare loosely threaded into the corresponding openings 34 in the cap. Thelength of tubular material is similarly connected to the remainingbalusters and said length may then be exactly aligned with the lasterected section of balustrade by adjusting it vertically as requiredwith the bolts 21 moving within the slots 28 of the lugs 26 to permitthis adjustment. The nuts 35 may then be tightened to securely clamp theconnecters to the balusters.

The lengths 5 are moved endwise relative to the connecters until theabutting ends of the adjacent lengths are in close contact with oneanother, whereupon the screws 36 are tightened to clamp the flanges 12between the channels 25 and their coacting caps 31. During this clampingmovement the sides 32 of the caps slide a short distance down theinclined faces 15 to exert a wedging action which assists in retainingthe channel 25 within the slot.

In order to close the slots 11 between adjoining connecters, a fillerstrip 33 is provided, see Figure 4. The strip 38 is preferably ofchannel section and has the substantially same cross sectional dimensionas the channel 25 of the connecters so as to closely fit the sides ofthe rebates 14. The strip is required to be cut to the desired length bythe workmen erecting the balustrade and to be sprung into positionwithin the slot so that no fastening devices are required.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A balustrade comprising a tubular handrail having a bottom wall, saidbottom wall having a central slot defined by inwardly projectingflanges, said flanges having rebates formed at their lower edges, spacedbalusters for supporting said handrail, a connector secured to the upperend of each baluster and adapted to be partly seated in said rebates, acap bridging the upper edges of said flanges above each connector, andmeans extending between each connector and a cap for clamping theflanges between the cap and the connector, each connecter being providedwith a depending lug, said lug havin a vertical slot, each of saidbalusters being secured to a connecter by nut and bolt means extendingthrough the said slots.

2. A balustrade comprising a tubular handrail having a bottom wall, saidbottom wall having a central slot defined by inwardly projectingflanges, said fianges having rebates formed at their lower edges, spacedbalusters for supporting said handrail, a connector secured to the upperend of each baluster and adapted to be partly seated in said rebates, acap bridging the upper edges of said flanges above each connector, andmeans extending between each connector and a cap for clamping theflanges between the cap and the connector, each connector being providedwith a depending lug, and each baluster being hingedly connected to thedepending lug at its upper end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

